You coulda been a plumber! Instead you went to MIT.

You’ve yearned to join the ranks of countless presidents, Supreme Court justices and Nobel laureates, but lacked the grades or money. Now it’s time to break out your button-down collar and penny-less loafers and celebrate. Yesterday, two of the fanciest schools in all the land —Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — jointly announced the launch of edX, a new online initiative aimed at bringing their otherwise expensive classes to the masses free of charge starting this fall. The program is an outgrowth of MITx, an online learning project launched by MIT last December.

MIT President Anant Agarwal said the goal of the $60 million edX initiative is to “educate a billion people around the world” through an open source online platform, which, little does he know, could include you sitting naked and drunk at your computer at 3am screaming lines from Good Will Hunting at your screen. (more…)

If you’ve ever wanted to experience life in a ghost town (honestly, who hasn’t?) but don’t have patience or time to travel, the good people at the experimental theater company Ugly Rhino Productions are bringing a ghost town to Brooklyn. Starting tomorrow (March 2) and running every Friday for four weeks at the Brooklyn Lyceum, Ugly Rhino will present “Centralia: A Nice Place to Live,“ a play about a real-life Mordor in the midst of the Middle Earth that is Pennsylvania. Since it’s experimental, admission includes six signature cocktails to pull you deeper into the story. And the best part for Brokelyn readers?  You get $5 off the price of the $25 admission for the shows tomorrow (3/2) and March 9 when you mention Brokelyn at the Centralia box office!

Background on Centralia: An underground mine fire began raging in 1962, and a network of old mines kept firefighters from putting it out. The fire continues to burn today. Almost of the residents fled when the government condemned the town, but nine hearty souls remained, and they’re the subjects of the play. (more…)

From last year's Phil Collins parade. Via Flickr's Your Secret Admiral.

If there’s one thing Phil Collins knows, it’s heartbreak. The man who brought you hi-fi hits like “I Can’t Dance,” “Easy Lover,” and “Sussiudio”, recently sustained a series of injuries that forced him to retire from music in 2011.  But hope is still alive, Phil-istines: Phil Collins Day is almost here! Tomorrow (Feb. 15) marks the sixth annual Phil Collins Day, an entire day dedicated to the former Genesis drummer turned megastar. Last year, people paraded through the streets of Greenpoint to his music.

This year, the tone is more reflective: Organizer Heather Feather has set up a confessional booth at 60 Freeman St. in Greenpoint for people to record their anonymous “confessions of love, loss, hurt, obsession, and degradation.” At the end of the day, all recorded footage will be mailed to the man himself, with hopes that he can start working on songs to comfort us through our own relationship pain. (more…)

The year is only two weeks young, but if you’re at all like me then your New Year’s resolutions are probably starting to fall apart faster than an episode of Two Broke Girls. But never fear, brokesters! Today is a great day to follow through on your goal of being more involved in the community with this huge free event at BAM. Starting at 10:30am, Borough President Marty Markowitz presents BAM’s 26th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to MLK, Jr. with “Come Share the Dream,” the largest public celebration of the great leader in New York City. It includes musical performances by Toshi Reagon, BIGLovely and The Institutional Radio Choir C.O.G.I.C., plus a free screening of The Black Power Mixtape, 1967-1975, a documentary featuring rare footage and interviews of Black Power leaders. First come, first seated. One ticket per person (show starts at 1). (more…)

If you’re caught up in last minute holiday shopping and find your yuletide spirit slowly turning into yuletide rage, the good folks at the recently opened De Luxe in Park Slope have a little something to pick you back up. Starting today and running through Christmas day, mention Brokelyn and you get a free small coffee! It’s not just regular coffee, either: their Doma Coffee is made of organic, fair-trade trade beans from around the world. De Luxe also has sandwiches, pastries and a selection of tea (the smoked black tea is my favorite). Swing by, and tell em Brokelyn sent you.

De Luxe, 410 Seventh Ave. (between 13th and 14th streets).

Greene Hill Food Co-op, opening Saturday.

Just because you’re getting public assistance doesn’t mean you’re stuck at Pathmark. The Greene Hill Food Co-op in Clinton Hill officially opens this Saturday much to the delight of locals or anyone caught up in work shift purgatory at the Park Slope Food Co-op. In true food co-op fashion, they’re offering discounted memberships to low-income residents enrolled in some form of public assistance (SSI, Medicaid, SNAP/Food stamps, etc.) under  the ecologically themed “Apple Plan.” If you qualify, you save $20 on your administration fee and can pay off the $150 member fee over five years, instead of six months. Fresh, local food, now even fresher for your wallet. (more…)

Missed Connections fascinate because they say something about the nature of urban love, optimism and the need to believe the person who happens to be reading the same book across the train is your soul mate. Brooklyn artist Sophie Blackall has turned those finely crafted 21st century messages in a bottle into cute illustrations in Missed Connections: Love, Lost and Found, which was released in September. The heartwarming book about “the mystery, the yearning, [and] at times the cosmic humor behind the ‘what if?’” includes stories about a hairy bearded swimmer, a shared bear suit, and a Hasidic woman on a ferry. Pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore before you trawl Craigslist this holiday season.

$13.95, Word and other local bookstores.

Drafted for Occupation

Does the idea of drinking the “King of Beers” make you want to pull out a copy of Common Sense? If so, the good people over at Sixpoint Brewing Company may be taking some of the pain(e) out of the plight of 99 percent. About a month ago, Sixpoint began providing protesters with fresh water from kegs cleaned at its Brooklyn facility. Now it seems like Sixpoint is upping the ante by releasing Occupation Ale, a floral and citrusy amber to wash down the bitter taste of social injustice. But Sixpoint’s president says the beer “is not necessarily honoring the people behind Occupy Wall Street.” So who’s it for then? (more…)

Photo via Flickr's Matticles.

Let’s face it: this wasn’t your year. Maybe you had plans to get up every morning and train, only to wake up at noon with a hangover. Maybe the thought of running to catch a train, let alone completing a 26.2-mile race, makes you nervous and dehydrated. Or maybe your plans to live-draw your way through a grueling race fell through due to a last-minute carpal tunnel outbreak. Whatever the reason/excuse, there are tons of places to watch your 47,000 fellow New Yorkers compete in this year’s marathon. Almost half the race is in Brooklyn, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to cheer along without leaving the borough. (more…)

Are you funny enough to win a Pasta Boat?

Are you ready for Sunday’s “Yo Momma So Broke” contest at the Brokedown Throwdown at Public Assembly? Are you bringing your small budget and oversized wit for the Thunderdome of tasteless one-liners? We thought so.

And here’s a little something to sweeten the pot: the first place jokester wins a crazy-ass prize yo momma can only dream about. Our friends at Telebrands have supplied us with TEN As Seen on TV gifts that you can only win at the Brokedown Throwdown. The comic deemed the funniest by our audience will receive one of each of the following:

PedEgg: Microfiles that gently remove skin from your feet!  NO MESS!
One-Second Needle: Makes sewing seem like child’s play!
RoboStir: Lets you stir without actually having to stir!

WAIT! There’s more: (more…)